Afghan Attorney General Visits U.S. to Discuss Rule of Law Initiatives
Afghanistan's Attorney General Abdul Jabar Sabit visited Washington from June 24-25, 2008 as part of an official trip to the United States. During his visit, Attorney General Sabit met with various members of the Bush Administration to discuss the ongoing efforts regarding rule of law, justice and security in Afghanistan.
During his visit Attorney General Sabit participated in an inter-agency roundtable meeting along with Ambassador David P. Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State of the Bureau of International Narcotics Law Enforcement (INL) at the U.S. State Department, where he briefed members on his efforts in strengthening the rule of law and the justice system and in improving administrative governance in Afghanistan.
Attorney General Sabit also met with several senior members of the Bush Administration such as such Mr. John Walters, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy; Mr. Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia; Mr. Edward Frothingham, Director of Transnational Threats at the Department of Defense; Mr. Bobby Wilkes, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Central Asia and Mr. Mitchell Shivers, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs.
During his meetings, Attorney General Sabit conveyed the Afghan people’s appreciation for the ongoing support that the U.S. and international community continue to provide for Afghanistan. In addition, he talked about specific measures that the Afghan government and international partners can take towards expanding the rule of law in Afghanistan. He mentioned that international partners could be very helpful in extending its assistance with more advisors and training for prosecutors, judges and the police.
Attorney General Sabit also delivered a speech at the United States Institute of Peace, where he spoke on the achievements and ongoing efforts of implementing the rule of law in Afghanistan. He also attended a luncheon at the Embassy of Afghanistan hosted by Ambassador Said T. Jawad where he briefed members of the embassy on his activities as Attorney General.
After his visit to Washington, Attorney General Sabit traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah to attend a graduation ceremony of 16 Afghan prosecutors that just completed a special training program at the University of Utah School of Law. The program was initiated as part of the Public Private Partnership initiative recently announced between the U.S. and Afghan governments. Mr. Sabit will also briefly travel to Los Angeles to meet with members of the local Department of Homeland Security office as well as judges of the Central District of Los Angeles, California.
Dr. Sabit was appointed Attorney General of Afghanistan in 2006 by President Hamid Karzai. Prior to taking up his post as Attorney General, he served as the Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Interior.
Related News:
Afghanistan's Attorney General: Training Crucial (6/27/2008)
Ambassador Jawad Speaks on Rule of Law Initiatives (06/20/2008)
